Date: Friday, April 20, 2012
Time: 8:00 am until 12:00 pm
Place: Executive Office Building Conference Center
2100 Pontiac Lake Road, Bldg 41W
Waterford, MI 48328
Phone: (248) 858-0783

On-line Pre-Registration is highly recommended. Click Here to register. 

This no charge financial forum is sponsored by the Oakland County Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Association and is intended to provide entrepreneurs with up to date information on sources of funds and valuable resources to support their small businesses.

Panel will address the audience and elaborate on their services. There will be a display of banker member products and services and an opportunity for entrepreneurs to sit face to face with the various bankers and address financing needs.

Discover tools to grow your business and network with key players. Pre-Registration is strongly advised so register today!

Member Banks

• Citizen’s Bank

• TCF Bank

• PNC

• First Place Bank

• Huntington Bank

• Independent Bank

• Comerica Bank

• Bank of America

• Community Central Bank

• Peoples State Bank

• The State Bank

• Flagstar Bank

• Charter One Bank

• Fifth Third Bank

Panel includes

• City of Pontiac

• Pontiac Regional Chamber of Commerce

• Oakland County CRA Association members

• Oakland County One Stop Shop/Business Center

• Oakland County Business Finance Corporation

Southwest fare is on the way to Downtown Clawson. Plans for the Mojave Grill & Cantina  were approved by the Planning Commission this week. Renovations to the building at 54 W. 14 Mile will begin immediately. The owners hope to be open for business and serving great Tex-Mex this fall!

Tavern on the Main brightened things up with new windows that look out to the patio. Great job, Tom!

Saturday, April 7
The Easter Bunny visited Scooter’s Dairy-O!

Sunday, April 1
Happy Birthday to Wunderground Magic and Leon & Lulu. Wunderground celebrates 41 yrs in business and a fun filled 6 yrs for Leon & Lulu. Congratulations! Birthday celebrations include special sales and cake to all of their customers.

Wednesday, March 14
Dairy-O Grand Re-opening Update:
Facepainting from 11:30am to 1:30pm.
Bounce House from 11am to 3pm
Magician from noon to 1pm

Monday, March 12
It’s official…Village Shoe Inn is open! Here’s a snap from the Grand Opening

Wednesday, March 7
Always a welcome sign of Spring…Dairy-O will open next Thursday, the 15th of March!
And this year brings a new owner – Lisa Sarvello will be dishing out the ice cream treats this year! To help celebrate, we’re holding a Grand Re-Opening on Saturday, March 17th at 11am. To add to the fun there will be facepainting and contests throughout the day!

Thursday, March 1
The word on business openings….
Village Shoe Inn, 250 E. 14 Mile Rd., is getting ready for the Grand Opening on Saturday, March 10. Meanwhile, they are quietly opening the doors on Saturday, March 3, if you just can’t wait.

It’s a sure sign of spring when Dairy-O starts making plans to open. This well loved Clawson business is opening this spring under new management. They are very excited and have many new exciting ideas. We can’t wait!

Tuesday, February 21

Fire & Spice …and Everything Nice was last Saturday. And what a blast! The weather was cold but the turnout was terrific. See the Fire & Spice page under Annual Events for the follow up story. Can’t wait till next year.

Thursday, February 16

The Town Hall Meeting is tonite! We are hoping for a nice crowd of people. Remember, anyone interested in the renewed energy in Downtown Clawson is welcome to join. Resident, non-resident, business owner…all are welcome.

We are picking up more late entries for the chili cook-off. Be sure to watch the Events page. Also, we’re getting some nice press. This article appeared in the Royal Oak Review – click here.

Monday, February 6

So much to get ready for this month.  Thursday, February 16th is our Town Hall meeting to talk about the DDA, what we do, and what we have planned for the future. Sure hope we have a good turnout from the community. It’s your downtown and we need to hear from everyone.

And, the following Saturday, February 18 is Fire & Spice…and everything nice! Can’t wait. It’s going to be great fun and so many good causes will benefit – Clawson Goodfellows, Clawson High School Marching Band, Make a Difference Rescue, Make A Wish Foundation, and more. Watch our events page for details leading up to the big day.

Sunday, January 22

Improvements at Black Lotus Brewery! A new and improved kitchen area has beencompleted and a new bar area too! Watch for a new menu in the spring. In the meantime, daily specials on are on the menu.

Tuesday, January 10

Parking! Changes are underway!

Signs are now posted in the ACO parking lot changing the lot from private to municipal parking. ACO has agreed to a trial period where the parking is made available to all downtown customers. The city, in turn, will provide snow plowing. A small price to pay for a big return. Thanks ACO!

The DDA and business owners met last week to discuss proposed permit parking areas for employees and time limit parking signage.

We’ll keep you posted on changes…stay tuned!

Sunday, January 8

Work begins at Black Lotus to improve the kitchen area. Kitchen will be closed for the week while construction is underway. Watch for a new & improved kitchen and menu!

Thursday, December 22

We held our regular DDA meeting yesterday at Leon & Lulu and immediately following the meeting was a Volunteer Appreciation Party. What a great time – fun place, good food, and great people! We really do appreciate everyone that gives their time to help make a great downtown.

Tuesday, December 6

The holiday season has kicked into high gear in the downtown businesses! Leon & Lulu is bursting with gift items and decorations, Hips & Regeneration are chock full of festive outfits, and the restaurants – whether breakfast, lunch or diners – have people holding holiday get-togethers. So much fun!

All the business festivity will help compensate for the lack of outdoor decorating this year. Until the ongoing issues with the streetlights are resolved we were advised to postpone adding decorations to them for this year. Looking forward to next year!

Monday, November 28

Small Business Saturday was a blast! We walked into all of the businesses with Santa and thanked shoppers for coming downtown. We were especially pleased to find that the majority of shoppers were aware of Small Business Saturday and the importance of shopping small businesses. The message is catching on – Shopping Small makes a Huge Difference.

We had so much fun tagging along with Santa and listening to the Christmas wishes of the kids, both big and small. Especially fun was watching parents eyes when Santa asked kids what was on the top of their list….a puppy or a pony?! Ha, that got attention!

Santa had a surprise visitor too. His Mini Me came downtown to join in the fun.

Monday, November 14

Another new business moving to Downtown Clawson. LC Luggage will be offering luggage and leather goods. Soon to open at 25 S. Main Street.

Saturday, November 5

November already! The holidays are approaching fast. On the good news side, both Village Shoe Inn and the new addition to Renshaw Lounge should be open for business. Good times for the downtown!

Thursday, October 27

The owners of the Village Shoe Inn appeared before the Planning Commission this week and soon will be re-opening at 250 E. 14 Mile Road. They left Clawson for a time to focus on their other locations and the building was leased to Republic Bank. Now, the lease is up and they are coming back! Oh boy, shoe shopping!

Sunday, October 23

Forty two businesses have decorated scarecrows and they are all up on the streetlights now. Most of the pictures are posted on our Facebook page and the remainder will go up tomorrow. Then the voting will begin! Help us decide the winner…your vote counts!

Wednesday, October 19

Monday was a bit blustery but clear and sunny so we took advantage and went about installing some of the scarecrows. The remainder will go up on Friday when the weatherman says it will quit raining.

Be sure to get out, walk around and prepare to vote for your favorite!

Many thanks to the volunteers that helped……you guys rock!

Sunday, October 16

The annual Clawson Fire Department Open House is today from 12 to 3. Take the kids!

Saturday, October 15

Had fun at the Costume Swap Today! So many kids left with new duds for Halloween. Much deliberation in those young, determined minds but all ended up finding the perfect selection. Lots of fun…can’t wait for next year! Thanks to Regeneration for hosting the Swap! Can’t believe we forgot to take photos

Saturday, October 15

Rain and high winds forced a rain delay on the plans for putting up scarecrows in the downtown today  The forecast says sun for Monday so we’ll tackle it then.

Here’s a photo of the ‘before’. This is how they were delivered to the businesses. And, wow, wait till you see the ‘after’. We have some extremely talented folks in our downtown. There’s some real competition in the contest this year.

Costume Swap starts at noon today at Regeneration!

Thursday, October 13

So excited that Leon & Lulu has purchased the old Clawson Theater building since Mary Liz and Steve understand the importance of ‘adaptive re-use’. The building will regain the look and character of the old building, preserving its character while being repurposed into retail space.

It will be so fun to see this piece of Clawson history return to life!

Tuesday, October 11

So excited to have another of our vacant properties ready to take on new life. Village Shoe Inn is preparing to open at 250 E. 14 Mile Road. The building was leased out to Republic Bank while the Village Shoe Inn owners consolidated and focused on their other properties. Excited about the new energy in our downtown, the Village Shoe Inn is returning!

Oh joy…shoe shopping!

Saturday, October 8

Scarecrow delivery began today. The businesses will have all week to decorate and we hang them up next Saturday. We’re doing things a little different this time and it’s going to be great!

Friday, October 7

Wow, what a busy week! The press conference on Wednesday was a blast! We had a terrific turnout and showed our best to representatives from communities throughout Oakland County and county government officials.

Food tastings were provided by Moose Winooski, Clawson Grill, Lim’s Palace, Due Venti, Noble Fish, Grumpy’s and a particularly innovative breakfast pizza from Renshaw Lounge. We all know pizza is good for breakfast but a pie with ham and bacon, then topped by eggs…yum!

We really started things off right when the Clawson High School Marching Band came strutting in playing the Clawson fight song. Now, that’s the way to start an event!

Adding to the excitement, Mary Liz Curtin announced that she and her husband have purchased the old Clawson theater building next to Leon & Lulu and will be renovating the building to retain the character and feel of the theater – preserving a part of Clawson history. The new space will feature a bakery in the front and additional retail space for Leon & Lulu in the back.

Truly a big news day for Downtown Clawson!

Tuesday, October 4

Look for some excitement in town tomorrow morning as the Clawson High School Band marches to Leon & Lulu. Why, you ask? They are helping us show our excitement as L. Brooks Patterson holds a press conference to announce Clawson as the newest designated Main Street community.

Clawson joins thousands of communities nationwide that have adopted this proven revitalization program and management philosophy introduced by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

With the continued assistance of Main Street Oakland County the DDA will ensure we Preserve, Protect, Enjoy – Downtown Clawson!

Tuesday, September 27

Renovations continue at Renshaw Lounge. The addition is really taking shape now.

Friday, September 23

Jerry’s Famous Dogs opens for business at 247 E. 14 Mile Road

Saturday, September 17

Sadly, it’s the last day of business for Sprouting Tots Resale Shop. We’ll miss Jennifer and wish her the best.

Friday, August 12

Streets are clean, sidewalks are swept – we”re ready for the Car Show. Tomorrow is the big day as thousands of car buffs descend on downtown Clawson for the Lion’s Club 13th annual Down on Main Car Show.

Need more information? Go to the What’s Happening page and find Events, there is a page for the Car Show.

Wednesday, August 10

Welcome to our new website! Take a minute and browse through the pages.
New improved Business Directory will be here soon. We’re working out a few technical glitches

The Aug/Sep issue of the Downtown Destination newsletter hit email boxes today. Be sure to sign up to receive your copy and be in the know about downtown events.

Saturday, March 31
Members of the DDA are on the way to Baltimore for the National Main Street Conference. Looking forward to learning new ways to energize our downtown. Great ideas are shared at the conference!

Black Lotus Brewing Company
Black Lotus will be celebrating right! The party begins at 10am. Go and enjoy special authentic Irish cuisine and to keep you moving & grooving, the high energy performances  of the bands Odd Enough and Michael O’Brien, will be featured after noon. Make sure to stop in to the Lotus to celebrate with delicious brews, great music and fabulous food! Bangors & Mash, Corned Beef Dinner, Irish Stew, Rueben sandwiches & Irish Stout Cake!
Also for mug club members, receive $3 mugs all day.

Moose Winooski
The outdoor patio is set up and open! Great place, fun people! Corned beef & cabbage is on the menu and plenty of beer – green if you wish. And, of course, there is the green beard on owner Larry Johnson!

Renshaw Lounge
Enjoy St. Pat’s at the new, improved and expanded Renshaw Lounge where it’s always a party! Corned Beef Hash & Ruebens are on the menu and always great pizza!

Tavern on the Main
Looking for a quieter place to celebrate the day and enjoy a good brew while sitting outside on the patio? Tavern on the Main is the place!

We had a great time at the event on Saturday, February 18. Great turnout, great food and lots of fun.

Get all the details, and the follow up story,  on our Events Page by clicking here: click!

Don’t forget the photos on the Photos & More page. Pictures really tell the story.

Not entirely clear on who the DDA is and what we do? Please plan to join us and learn a bit about the DDA. Folks from Oakland County will join us too to talk about Main Street, a management philosophy instituted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Main Street has been helping downtowns nationwide grow their economic base while maintaining their history and unique identity. The greatest reason for the success of the program, however, is community involvement!

The downtown is the heart of the community and it reflects the overall health of the community. Please plan to join us and learn about your downtown. Let us hear your voice.

Come to Black Lotus on Tuesday, February 14th to impress your valentine with a delicious, romantic meal followed by a house made Double Cupcake Plate! For only $6 enjoy a dessert for two which will include one chocolate stuffed cupcake topped with rich goodies and one vanilla berry cupcake topped with fresh fruit. Add a bottle of wine for only $25 and truely get your night started right! Also, stick around for Russian violinist, Harry Hovakimian, who will swoon your heart with his beautiful solo set from 8-9, followed by Zap Toro who will give you and your date an excuse to get close and sassy on the dance floor.

L. Brooks Patterson, County Executive

What is OakGreen?

OakGreen is an initiative to share information, encourage collaboration and connect Oakland County residents, businesses and communities to resources that can advance environmental stewardship, economic growth and strong communities.

The mission of OakGreen is to provide businesses, communities and residents the knowledge and tools to be more sustainable, reduce expenses, and embrace the “Triple Bottom Line”.

Workshops

Oakland County’s OakGreen program is sponsoring a series of Energy Efficiency Workshops throughout the county in partnership with the WARM Training Center. The workshops will offer ideas on how residents and businesses can save money by becoming more energy efficient. Oak Park, Orion and Wixom will each host a free workshop for residents and one for the business community in the upcoming weeks as listed below.

Oak Park – Community Center
Business workshop – Tuesday, January 17 8:30-10:30 am
Residential workshop – Thursday, January 19, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Address: 14300 Oak Park Blvd., Oak Park (west of Coolidge, between 9 & 10 Mile Roads)
Registration at 248-691-7555
WARM workshop brochure – Oak Park

Orion – Orion Township Hall
Business workshop – Wednesday, February 8, 9:30-11:30 am
Residential workshop – Wednesday, February 8, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Address: 2525 Joslyn Road
Registration at: pshults@oriontownship.org
WARM workshop brochure – Orion

Wixom – Community Center
Business workshop – Wednesday, January 25, 9:00-11:00 am
Residential workshop – Tuesday, January 24, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Address: 49015 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393
Registration at 248-624-2850, via fax at 248-960-3090 or via the web at www.wixomparksandrec.com
WARM workshop brochure – Wixom

The Black Lotus will be offering $3 pints, a free buffet featuring wings, potato skins, stuffed mushrooms and tomatoes and several other delicious snacks to pair with your handcrafted pints! This is also your chance to renew your year long membership for only $25 or upgrade to a lifetime membership for just $100! Five TV’s will be tuned in to the game in the Lotus and the Drive In. You can also book a Tee time for Superbowl Sunday and golf while you cheer your favorite team on and receive $10 off your first hour of golf during the game!

Renshaw Lounge now -new & improved- has 13 televisions and has regular specials planned for game day.

Moose Winooski, another downtown favorite, will also have specials and all 5 tv’s tuned into the game.